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The Red Sun Sets, the Black Sun Rises.	By : Sedor Category: Bleach > General Views: 6506 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
The Red Sun Sets, the Black Sun Rises.
Welcome back to chapter 3.
"Normal speech"
'Thoughts'
"Kido/Zanpakuto release"
"Tensa Zangetsu"
XXX
Chapter 3: Ascendancy.
As Ichigo made his way back to the Yamamoto compound he was greeted by passing soul reapers and other civilians. He slowed just enough to greet them or wave before speeding off once more. Reaching the estate he made straight for his room to wash the sweat from his limbs. As he removed the upper half of his shihakusho, he winced from the bruises his spar with Sui-Feng had left. While he had been able to shrug the blows of and continue without pause, she had managed to get in several hits to critical points on his body. Looking at them in the mirror he noted they were a dull red now.
"It seems the young bee did do some damage to you after all Ichigo," Tensa Zangetsu said from within his mind.
"Tell me something I don't know Zangetsu," Ichigo grumbled as he slipped into the hot water wincing again as it soaked his bruised muscles.
"Very well then, you also thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it as well as your impromptu actions afterward," Zangetsu said with a snigger, "I'm afraid I must agree with Lady Yoruichi in her assessment that you were, what was the term she used? Ah yes 'molesting' the little bee."
Ichigo's face heated rapidly as a blush spread across his cheeks, "What the hell Zangetsu, you know very well why I did that and it was not to molest her," Ichigo shouted at his zanpakuto spirit.
"Oh please do elaborate, because from my point of view it was quite clear what you were doing," Zangetsu replied. Ichigo could almost see the smirk on his face from within his inner world.
"You were there back during our bankai training when Yoruichi brought up the captains. She greatly dislikes when anyone gets the drop on her, so what better way to get her back for these bruises than by turning her to mush so to speak," Ichigo said as he exited the bath a towel clad around his waist as he walked back to his closet to look for another shihakusho. "Not to mention that the oil was given to me by Jii-san and that it's supposed to soothe bruises and the like much faster than anything else."
"Say what you will about it Ichigo, but you can't hide that you felt something more than mischief at your actions," Zangetsu finished with a grin.
"Just what is with you today, I mean you've never been this, assertive or annoying," Ichigo said as he finished dressing.
"That's probably the hollow's personality coming through; remember we exist as one being now Ichigo. He and I are one and the same, aspects of both personalities can be found within me," Zangetsu said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Oh great, really just great," Ichigo said with a sigh. He was interrupted by a knock to his door.
"Ichigo-sama when you're available, Genryusai-sama would like for you to meet him in the study. If you don't know where that is yet I am to escort you there," said a women's voice from behind the door.
Opening the door Ichigo found the woman that had served him at dinner the previous night, she had blue eyes and black hair tied in a long ponytail that reached down her back. She was about a foot or so shorter than him and was clothed in a black and blue kimono. "Ah thanks that'd be great," he said, "I'm sorry, but I don't remember your name?"
She smiled at him and gestured for him to follow, "It's Umeko, Ichigo-sama." She led him down a series of hallways until they arrived at a set of doors. "Genryusai-sama is waiting inside," Umeko said with a bow before turning and walking off.
"Ah thanks Umeko-san," Ichigo called out to her before she was out of earshot. Opening the door, he found Genryusai seated at a large table in the middle of the room, several books piled next to him. Looking around, he found himself in an impressive library with row upon row of bookshelves lined with tomes of varying size.
"Welcome Ichigo, I trust your sparring with Sui-Feng went well. For the next few hours we'll be going over the skills necessary to govern the Gotei 13 as well as the politics behind the Yamamoto clan," Genryusai said as he gestured to the pile of books next to him.
With a groan Ichigo sat down opposite him, already dreading the lesson to come. For hours he had the rules and regulations of the Gotei 13 drilled into his mind, everything from transfers between divisions to simple delegation of patrols to both the Rukongai and Living World. The politics surrounding the Yamamoto clan was slightly more enjoyable, but no less tedious as Ichigo learned that the clan was most known for establishing suitable institutions for the betterment of the Soul Society and their maintenance. He groaned seeing that he would not be responsible only for the Gotei 13, but also the Shino Academy. He would also need to find ways to establish ways to better the Soul Society, but as Genryusai told him, the funds had to come from somewhere and the majority of such projects were never feasible purely on the basis of cost. Ichigo was overjoyed when Genryusai said they could stop for the day, but was brought down of his high when he was told to return each night and read through the books in the library for at least an hour before retiring for the day.
They ended the day's training by returning to the practice grounds where Ichigo learned Hado 63,73 and 88, as well as Bakudo 61, 62, 63 and 81. He was pleased with himself at the sheer power such kido had to offer as it left the ground scorched, but intact unlike his Getsuga Tensho didn't completely uproot it. After the evening meal, where he was served by Umeko again, he stripped himself down to just his hakama again and collapsed in bed slipping into a dreamless sleep.
In his own chambers though, Genryusai looked down in agitation at his right arm as it continued to shake while he tried to write. Grimacing he laid his brush down and decided to retire for the evening.
XXX
The next morning Ichigo found himself roused by a knock at his door. Standing he walked to the door opening it with a yawn. He immediately felt his body shake off its exhaustion as he stood before Yoruichi.
"My, my Ichigo is this how you've taken to greeting everyone who knocks at your door?" she said with a smirk.
"Y-Yoruichi-san, how did, when did…you know what never mind. What can I do for you this morning?" Ichigo asked as he suppressed a yawn.
"Ah don't tell me you've forgotten, you've got practice again this morning with Sui-Feng of course," Yoruichi said her smirk becoming a full blown grin.
Groaning at what he would have to deal with from Sui-Feng this morning, Ichigo picked up his discarded shihakusho and slipped into it, before heading off to the grounds with Yoruichi in tow.
Arriving he found a stone faced Sui-Feng already standing before the troops. Spotting him she gestured for him to come to the front and not wanting to complicate matters he obeyed.
As he reached her she grabbed him flipping him onto his chest. "Today you will lead them in the warm-ups, now start working," she said as she stood with her foot on him.
Groaning he began doing push-ups with her putting pressure on him, while the rest of the squad followed suit. After their initial exercises were complete, they broke into pairs once more to spar. Ichigo was caught off-guard as Sui-Feng attacked him with unexpected fury, intent on beating him into the ground almost. Soon he found that he could no longer hold back unless he wanted to continue getting pummelled. Their spar reached the point where Sui-Feng had to focus solely on evading blows as each blow from Ichigo would snap bones. Calling a halt to it she stalked off back to her duties without a backward glance.
Confused to her attitude Ichigo rushed after her shouting, "Captain Sui-Feng may I ask what led to your…energy while sparring today?" Truthfully he guessed that it probably had something to do with his teasing yesterday so it was not unexpected.
Stopping in her tracks, Sui-Feng looked over her shoulder at the young noble. Walking up to him she spoke in a low voice, "You caused me to embarrass myself in front of Yoruichi-sama Ichigo-dono. What's more you caused my own thoughts to betray me an act I will not tolerate, so believe me when I say that I plan on paying you back," she finished with a stone cold expression on her face walking off again.
Ichigo felt even more confused now as to how he had caused her to embarrass herself in front of Yoruichi, when the women in question walked up to him, "Don't worry too much about it Ichigo, she merely thought I was you when I visited her after you left yesterday. She of all people has very little tolerance for such teasing."
Nodding his understanding Ichigo took off knowing that he would have to tread lightly around her now. Heading back to the estate, he ducked into his room to at least soothe his bruised muscles with the oil he was given, since Genryusai wanted to teach him formal kendo after his sparring was over. Walking over to the practice grounds, he found the old man sitting on a chair two kendo sticks next to him.
"Good morning Ichigo, judging from the look of you, today's practice was particularly stressing," Genryusai greeted him, noting the increase in bruises to Ichigo.
"You could say that Jii-san," Ichigo said scratching the back of his neck like he usually did when uncomfortable with a question.
"Very well I won't pry for now, today as you know I want to work on your zanjutsu, which while passable is still inefficient. While you may be able to equal Byakuya or Kenpachi at the moment, I highly expect you to be able to best them easily once you learn a bit more on the subject," Genryusai said as he flicked both kendo sticks up into the air with his cane. Grabbing one, he knocked the other into Ichigo's hands. "Let us begin."
For the next few hours Ichigo was schooled in the proper forms of kendo by the old man. While Ichigo's strokes seemed wild and unpredictable, Genryusai was calm and unyielding. He punished Ichigo repeatedly with his stick, causing Ichigo to wince every time he moved as a result of the bruises. He continued to improve steadily until, during a particularly intense set of blows, Genryusai's face contorted in pain causing Ichigo to pause mid-strike. He watched as the old man crumpled rushing forward to catch him shouting, "Jii-san!" Picking up the old man, Ichigo flash stepped toward the fourth division, trying to pinpoint where Unohana was exactly.
XXX
Retsu Unohana had seen many things in her time as captain of the medical division, patients with missing limbs, horribly disfiguring injuries to the youngest men and women. What she had never seen though was the sight of the Captain Commander convulsing in the arms of a frantic substitute and in truth it was a sight she never expected to see. Thus when the young noble burst in through the doors of the hospital shouting at the top of his lungs for her, she was more than prepared to reprimand him for such an act, until she looked at his arms and almost felt her heart stop. Urging him into an emergency room, she had him lay Genryusai down on a bed, while she prepped the room. While Ichigo was being ushered out into the hallway by some of the fourth division members, the last thing he saw was Unohana applying a healing kido to Genryusai's quivering form. Feeling a sense of helplessness grip him he sank down into a nearby bench.
Minutes passed and he found that Captains Ukitake, Kyoraku and Komamura, as well as Lieutenant Sasakibe had arrived. Spotting Ichigo on the bench they approached him.
As they neared Ichigo stood and held up his hands stalling their questions. "It's been a few minutes since he went in and they haven't told me anything yet. All I can say is that he collapsed during our kendo training session and I brought him here as quickly as possible."
Snapping their mouths closed they joined him in his silent vigil. Ukitake and Kyoraku joined him on the bench while Komamura and Sasakibe stood watching the door. Minutes turned into hours and found Ichigo growing more agitated with each passing second. Whenever the door was opened he would jump to his feet, asking the exiting healer for any information on Genryusai's condition, only to be told they were doing all they could at the moment and that they needed him to be patient. Scowling after he had been shot down for the tenth time Ichigo stomped off in the direction of one of the gardens on the division's grounds.
Watching the fuming teen Kyoraku smiled and looked to his old friend saying, "It's only been two or three days since he was adopted by Yama-jii and yet here he is worrying after him like his own flesh and blood."
Ukitake returned the smile, his mind feeling sympathy for the young man. "Ichigo-kun really lives up to his name, regardless of how long he's known someone, he still wants to protect them. To be powerless now despite everything he's done must be eating away at him," Ukitake said.
Komamura had listened in to the conversation and found that he agreed with them and so he followed after Ichigo. He found the teen staring blankly at the sky and walked up to him. "Ichigo-dono," he said breaking the silence.
Ichigo looked up at him in surprise, "Komamura-san? What are you doing here, has there been any word on Jii-san's condition?" Ichigo queried looking at the canine-like captain.
"No Ichigo-dono, still no news. Do not worry about Genryusai-sensei, he has pulled through worse before and though his power wanes, he is still the same man at his core," Komamura said looking at the young man.
"I know Komamura-san, part of me knows that something like this will not be the end of the man, but another part of me is wondering, no matter what happens now, it will hold him back in some way and push me into his role that much sooner. I can't help but wonder if I'm ready to handle such a role," Ichigo said as he returned to gazing at the sky.
Seeing the doubt that gripped the young man's mind, Komamura thought for a second. "Genryusai-sensei has for as long as I've known him been a good judge of character and accepted many when others would shun them away. Do you know Ichigo-dono that he was the first man to stand up for me, he saved my life and offered me a place at the Shino Academy. He has helped countless others as well. If he believes you to be the right person for the job, then I will too as will many others."
They stood in silence for a few moments before Komamura spoke again, "Do you know why he thinks you're the ideal candidate Ichigo-dono?" Seeing Ichigo still looking off into space he continued, "It is my belief that when you broke into the Seireitei the first time leading no more than a group of teenagers against the combined forces of the Gotei 13 and succeeded somewhat, he saw the man that would be the next Captain Commander. Since then you have shown that soul reapers and Quincy can cooperate somewhat, that it matters not what a soul is, what matters is where their heart lies. While he probably wanted you to live a human life first, one cannot foresee what fate dictates. As such all we can do is accept it and move on." His speech finished he turned to return to where Genryusai was being treated, only to pause when he heard Ichigo's voice.
"Thank you Komamura-san, I needed that," Ichigo said his eyes closed now in quiet contemplation.
Nodding at Ichigo, Komamura continued his walk back with Ichigo following soon after. Another hour later and Unohana finally exited the room, looking slightly breathless and drained.
Walking over to the group she sank down onto the bench as Ichigo stood to offer her the seat. Gathering herself she spoke, "We have managed to stabilise him and right now he is asleep. It seems the cause of the problem was reiatsu depletion which caused his body to go into shock causing it to shut down. He will be fine to return home in the morning, but he will need to stay in bed for at least a week, no exceptions," she said as she levelled her smiling gaze on Ichigo, the unspoken message that she expected him to keep Genryusai in bed. Nodding their understanding Ukitake, Kyoraku, Komamura and Sasakibe left to return to their divisions.
Standing Ichigo asked, "Is it okay if I see him before I go Unohana-san?"
Unohana sighed, "Yes you may, but as I said Ichigo-kun, he is asleep for now."
The two of them entered the room where Genryusai was being cared for. Looking into the old man's face, Ichigo was relieved to see the pained expression on his face had disappeared. The only indication that would indicate the past events was the sheen of sweat on the old man's forehead.
Seeing Unohana was slightly wary on her feet Ichigo reached out to steady her, "Sorry Unohana-san, you've been working non-stop for the last few hours without rest and here I am preventing you from resting," Ichigo said as he guided her out of the room and back to the bench.
"Do not blame yourself, Ichigo-kun," Unohana said as she accepted a cup of tea from a division member, "I merely need a moment to recover then I'll be fine again."
Knowing he wouldn't win an argument with her, Ichigo merely nodded and took one last look at his grandfather before bidding goodbye to Unohana and flash stepping back to the estate.
Arriving he was greeted by Umeko and the chief clerk at the gates. "Ichigo-sama, what news on Genryusai-sama's condition?" spoke the chief clerk.
Looking the man in the eye Ichigo said, "He is stable for now and merely in need of rest. He will return home tomorrow morning probably, but will need to remain in bed for a week roughly. I need you to alert everyone in the house as to this news and see that all the servants know as well so that we can take care of him when he returns," Ichigo said in an even voice.
"Of course Ichigo-sama, it will be as you say," the clerk said as both he and Umeko bowed to him.
Still looking at the man Ichigo spoke once again, "Sorry but what is your name again?"
Without rising from his bow the clerk spoke, "Daisuke Ichigo-sama."
"Ah thank you Daisuke-san, Umeko-san is it possible to have a meal prepared at this time. I apologise for the lateness, but circumstances were beyond my control," Ichigo asked as he shifted his attention to Umeko.
"Of course Ichigo-sama I will alert the kitchen immediately. Shall I have it sent to your room or the dining room?" Umeko asked.
"Ah the dining room please, I don't want to have to ask you to do more than you are already," Ichigo said as he walked toward the dining hall. Finishing the meal, he thanked Umeko once more before retiring for the evening.
XXX
As dawn broke over the Seireitei, Ichigo was roused from his slumber by its rays hitting his face. Sitting up he considered skipping his morning spar with Sui-Feng and heading to the hospital, but quickly dismissed the thought as it was still early morning and he didn't want to disturb the patients. He made his way to the second division at a far more sedate pace than normal as he wondered how the old man was this morning. Unsurprisingly he was called to the front again to lead the warm-up exercises, in his spar with Sui-Feng though he quickly lost his temper. She had yet again proceeded to pummel him mercilessly and while he understood, his patience for such childishness quickly vanished. Bringing the full scope of his powers to bear, he ducked underneath her guard grabbing her arm, twisting his torso to slam her into the ground where he pinned her with a knee to the neck.
Bending over her so that the other members would not hear his voice Ichigo whispered, "Your anger at me may seem justified to you Sui-Feng, but today I have no patience for such games. You feel embarrassed that someone actually caused you to relax for once and so you wish to hurt them? Understand this Sui-Feng you are of no used to the Gotei 13 if the enemy exploits such a weakness in you and if it means that you are subject to such embarrassment to rid yourself of that weakness then I will persist in my actions regardless of how you may feel. Now reflect on what I've told you and I hope you come to your senses." Standing he left the grounds, the only evidence of his departure the puff of dust that swirled at where he once stood.
Standing up, Sui-Feng saw her division members staring at her. Torn between anger and embarrassment she yelled, "What are you fools looking at? Get back to work before I decide to double your training time! Omaeda you're in charge for the rest of the session and pray that I don't catch you slacking off!" Her rant finished she returned to her office.
XXX
Arriving at Genryusai's room, Ichigo was pleasantly surprised to find the old man sitting up with a cup of tea in hand. He was currently talking to Ukitake and Shunsui, who on seeing Ichigo smiled and stood to leave.
"Ah Ukitake-san, Kyoraku-san no need to leave on my account," Ichigo said as he sat down in one of the chairs around his grandfather's bed.
"Ah we've been here for a few hours already Ichigo-kun so don't worry. In fact we need to get back to work ourselves now," Ukitake said as he and Kyoraku walked towards the door.
"Oh and Ichigo-kun, you may be seeing us sooner than you think," Kyoraku said as he poked his head back into the room before disappearing again.
Slightly confused Ichigo looked to Genryusai a look of puzzlement on his face.
Chuckling slightly Genryusai said, "From what I've been told by them and Retsu herself, is that I am to be bed-ridden for a week. As such I cannot train you as I would want, so they will be your substitute teachers for the next week or so."
"Yes Unohana-san made that fact perfectly clear yesterday, smiles and all," Ichigo said with a grin, "So how do you feel today Jii-san?"
A twinkle of amusement appeared in Genryusai's eyes recalling how his students had told him how worried Ichigo was about him. "I feel ready to return to the estate, provided it still exists and was not destroyed by your temper this morning," he spoke setting his cup down.
Ichigo's eyes widened at that, he had only just lost his temper about fifteen minutes ago and yet here he was being asked about it by Genryusai, "You know what, I'm not even going to ask how you knew, but to answer your question yes it still stands and I wouldn't take my temper out on any buildings."
After receiving a final once over from Unohana, Genryusai was allowed to leave provided he stayed in bed as required. The pair then made their way back with Genryusai relying on Ichigo for support now and then. Arriving at the front gates of the estate, they found the household servants lined up on either side of it to greet them as they returned.
When two of them offered to help Genryusai walk, he politely refused, "I may be in need of rest, but I am far from needing to be cared for like some withered old man," he said with a gentle tone, but still carried all the authority of his station. Stepping back in line they dispersed after Ichigo and Genryusai passed them. After partaking in a light meal Ichigo helped his grandfather to his chambers. Once the man was comfortable he decided to return to the kido grounds, since he would only be working on his kendo when Ukitake or Kyoraku arrived.
As he stood at the practice grounds and fired off several kido from his repertoire, he began to wonder whether these were truly his limits when it came to such spells. While he knew that others like Rukia or Renji would be in awe of his prowess, he couldn't help but feel that he could go further. Deciding to test his theory, he began casting Hado 33 repeatedly without the incantation, but taking an increasingly larger amount of reiatsu each time. By the time he was just short of a cupful of reiatsu, the spell had grown to encompass nearly the entire grounds and the once lush green grass of the field had been turned to dust from the heat of the spell. He thanked the foresight that his grandfather had constructed the back wall of sekkiseki for the spells were becoming large enough that he would probably be destroying the area behind the targets if he were anywhere else. As he took just over a cupful of reiatsu to fuel the next spell, he felt something shift while he casted. His control over the kido was shaky and it began to fight him far more than was normal. Without warning he was engulfed in an explosion that destroyed the ground in a 3m radius around him. As the smoke cleared he looked to his body and saw that while he had escaped serious injury his shihakusho was heavily burnt and his body looked as if he had taken a bath in soot. Hearing clapping from behind him he turned to find he was being watched by Ukitake and Kyoraku behind a shield he recognised as Danku.
"I must say that was well controlled for an explosion Ichigo-kun, if you had just allowed the explosion to happen I do not doubt that this entire area would have been reduced to cinders from such energy," Kyoraku said as he tilted his hat up.
"I would recommend though that perhaps you take the time in future to erect a shield yourself between the estate and yourself so that you do not accidentally destroy the area should you fail to control such a spell later," Ukitake said as he dispelled the shield.
"How long were you watching?" Ichigo asked as he walked to a grab a towel and spare shihakusho from the storeroom.
"Oh not long, we were curious as to why you were repeatedly firing off Hado 33. I'm guessing you've decided to find a limit where you can no longer control the spell hmm?" Kyoraku queried.
Looking faintly sheepish, Ichigo nodded his head, "Yeah I wanted to know what I could really do with some of the spells, seems like I need to limit myself to a cupful with anything below 33 then. This means I could probably increase the amount I use on the others tenfold at least," Ichigo finished as he ran a hand through his hair. He failed to see the look of shock exchanged between Ukitake and Kyoraku as they imagined him increasing his power on an 80's or 90's level kido.
"Ah yes, well why don't you worry about that later. Yama-jii has asked that we teach you kendo after all," Kyoraku said with a smile.
Nodding Ichigo retrieved three practice swords and they began. While Ichigo could probably keep pace with each of them individually, the pair of them working against him quickly caused him to gather just as many bruises as when he practiced with his grandfather.
XXX
The next week passed by fairly quickly for Ichigo, on the one hand he made great progress in his kendo, his practice now consisting of Ukitake and Kyoraku dual-wielding against him to constantly push him to become more efficient.
He continued to learn more about the Gotei 13 and the politics around him at night, while also learning of the history of past enrichment projects and why they failed.
His kido experiments also progressed and he listened to Ukitake's advice by first learning the maximum amount of power he could put into a shield and erecting them around the area while he increased the power on his hado. He had forgone increasing any of the hado above 88 as they would surely overwhelm the barriers he placed. While he had escaped from harm with anything lower than 33, the first time he overloaded a Raikoho it had left his right arm paralysed needing him to visit the fourth division for healing.
When Unohana had turned her smile on him, he had shuddered at the thought of what was coming. "Ichigo-kun do you really think that I don't have better things to do than treat people that injure themselves while causing untold devastation to their surroundings?," she asked still all smiles.
Shaking his head vigorously in the negative, Ichigo then felt a shiver run down his spine.
"So do explain to me why you insist on pushing yourself harder and harder than is needed, sooner or later you may very well cause an injury that I can't heal you from," Unohana said.
"My apologies Unohana-san, I'll try to be more careful next time," Ichigo said as he stood.
"Make sure you do Ichigo-kun, for if you should appear in my division again from an exploding kido, the consequences will be most unpleasant," she said as she exited the room.
While his hakuda was going well now and he left with no bruises from training, he was increasingly frustrated by Sui-Feng's attitude towards him. While she had ceased in her childish tantrums, now she even refused to speak to him beyond a greeting or farewell. He would need to speak to Yoruichi about it sooner or later.
XXX
As the evening settled on Sunday, he walked toward Genryusai's chambers where he had been summoned by the old man, knocking once he waited to be permitted entrance.
"Enter," spoke the old man's gruff voice.
Stepping into the room, he found it was quite similar to his own with the exception being that there was a small shrine in the corner holding the image of a middle aged woman with shoulder length brown hair and piercing green eyes. It was her smile though that enraptured Ichigo as he looked at it, for it seemed to reassure the viewer that everything was right in the world. He tore his gaze away from it guessing who it was considering whose room they were in now and made his way to where Genryusai sat at his desk.
"Good Evening Jii-san," Ichigo said with a slight bow as he took a seat, knowing whatever the old man wanted to speak to him about was important enough for him to don his full soul reaper attire when he would normally wear less formal kimonos around the estate.
"Ichigo," Genryusai said dipping his head slightly, "I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you. Even after this week, my body still feels frail and exhausted and as such I cannot continue to do any of the duties I must. It is my decision and regret that I must promote you now, despite the fact that I didn't want you to have to be thrust into the role within a week." Standing he made his way around the desk to clasp Ichigo on the shoulder, "I stand by what I said though and will continue to advise you, but now you must bear the mantle of Captain Commander and Head of the Yamamoto clan."
Ichigo was in shock that the moment he had been dreading had come a lot sooner than he expected. There was another knock at the door, followed by Lieutenant Sasakibe and Daisuke both entering. Sasakibe bore a haori carefully folded in his hands that he held as he stood before Genryusai, while Daisuke stood with his arms covered in strange black gloves.
Gesturing for Ichigo to stand, Genryusai then took the haori from Sasakibe. Unfurling it revealed it be a deep purple on the inside much like Genryusai's old one, this one however bore no sleeves and was more form fitting and did not have a number on its back yet. "Do you Ichigo Yamamoto accept this office, knowing full well the responsibilities placed upon you? Do you swear to uphold the ideals of the Gotei 13 in its mission to serve as protectors? Do you swear to protect the balance that exists between the Living World and Soul Society?"
With each word uttered it felt like a weight was placed on Ichigo's shoulders. Bowing his head slightly he spoke slowly and clearly, "I do."
With assistance from Sasakibe, Genryusai dressed Ichigo in the haori. Placing his palm over Ichigo's chest, he muttered a chant and his hand acquired a brilliant red glow. Ichigo watched in amazement as his right hand began to glow black. The next moment the number disappeared from the back of Genryusai's haori and appeared on Ichigo's. Placing his hand on his cane once more Genryusai stepped back as Daisuke stepped forward.
"While the Yamamoto clan does not believe in any identifying heirlooms or clothing being worn to signify oneself as head of the clan, the head does however always bear their zanpakuto in the guise of a cane. Please would you allow me to alter your sheath," Daisuke said as he gestured towards Tensa Zangetsu.
Handing over his zanpakuto gently, Ichigo was amazed when before his eyes, Daisuke held a glowing blue hand over his zanpakuto. A moment later it seemed as if black reishi flowed around it forming a smooth black wood around it. As the reishi dissipated it revealed a long black cane a little larger than the daito itself. It was barely an inch in diameter at the bottom while at least three inches at the top. Twined around it was a length of silver chain the seemed to protrude from the top of the cane. As he held it he felt the familiar warmth spread through his hand whenever he gripped his zanpakuto. Forcing a bit of reiatsu into it he watched as the wood dispersed revealing the blade once more. Looking back at Daisuke he saw the old man nod with approval and step back. Looking towards Genryusai, Ichigo saw a smile upon his face.
"You stand now Captain Commander Ichigo Yamamoto and second head of the Yamamoto clan. Tell me how do you feel?" Genryusai asked.
Forming the cane once more Ichigo twirled it around for a bit before looking into his grandfather's eyes, "I feel like life just started," he said as he ground the end of his cane into the ground causing a resounding boom to echo through the entire Seireitei. While the force behind the impact was low the authority exuded by the simple act brought a smile to both Yamamoto's faces.
"I believe a captains meeting should be called in the morning, don't you think Jii-san?" Ichigo said as a gleam of mischief entered his eyes.
"Just be sure not to destroy the Seireitei in the morning," the old man sighed. "You'd best get your rest tonight, tomorrow will be a long day."
XXX
And that's the end of chapter 3, bit of a time skip since all he really was doing was training and there's only so much one can say on the subject.
Not much in the way of IchixSui this chapter, but then again other things needed to be covered.
I had thought of making Unohana give him the whole long speech when Genryusai was admitted to hospital, but having Komamura do it made more sense.
There was also the naming of the maid and chief clerk and personally I like their names.
I toyed with the idea of an elaborate coronation for about 5 seconds before going with a more private ceremony and leaving the surprise for the captains for later. Not sure what you think of the symbol of Ichigo being head of the family. Looking at Genryusai the only thing that stood out was his cane and it sort of fits in with the whole sentiment of displaying their position etc.
It may feel a bit rushed making him commander this quickly, but the plot will reveal itself as we go on.
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The Red Sun Sets, the Black Sun Rises.